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Fined firm’s proxies also make BMC list
The list of 21 contractors shortlisted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for minor road rebuilding also includes two firms connected with the RPS group, which was earlier disqualified in contracts for work on major roads. They are Priti Construction and Shah and Parekh Company.
The list of 21 contractors shortlisted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for minor road rebuilding also includes two firms connected with the RPS group, which was earlier disqualified in contracts for work on major roads. They are Priti Construction and Shah and Parekh Company.
HT had reported on Thursday that three other firms included in the list — Relcon Infra Pvt. Ltd, Mahavir Roads and RK Madhani and Company — had been fined earlier for shoddy roadwork.
Earlier this year, RP Shah Infra Projects Ltd (RPS Infra), an RPS group company, was disqualified by the BMC for concealing information while submitting its bid for contracts worth Rs577 crore.
The BMC also forfeited its deposit. Nitin Shah of the RPS group said there was nothing wrong in participating in the bidding process.
“Though these companies are interrelated, we have bid for minor road contracts and qualify for this,” said Shah.
The civic body had floated tenders in August for resurfacing and rebuilding of minor roads across the city.
Of the 26 contractors who participated in the tender process, 21 were shortlisted on Wednesday.
Satish Badwe, chief engineer of the road department, said: “We have not announced the list of contractors and I will not comment unless the civic standing committee approves the contractors’ list.”
RK Madhani of RK Madhani and Company said: “We have been working in various states and various departments in the civic body over the last 50 years. We will give our best.”
The city has a road network stretching to 1,940km, of which over 50% are considered to be minor roads.
Most of these internal roads are maintained and repaired by local ward offices and are in a bad shape.
These wards have been sanctioned over Rs25 crore each for improving the roads.
The highest amount of Rs35.44 crore has been allotted to the Kurla ward.
The civic body looks after 1,900 km of Mumbai’s roads of which 530 km have already been concretised.
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